NHERC to present talk on Whale Entanglement Response

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo North Hawaiʻi Education and Research Center (NHERC) in Honoka`a hosts a presentation on rescuing entangled whales by Edward Lyman of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The event, which is free and open to the public, is on Thursday, October 13 at the Center beginning at 7 p.m.

Accidental entanglement in marine debris is the single largest human cause of death for marine mammals. Since 2002 as many as 60 different humpback whales have been reported entangled off Hawaiʻi, with the actual number much larger since many entanglements go unreported.

Lyman, who has been disentangling large whales for over 18 years, is presently coordinating and assisting community-based efforts in Hawaiʻi and Alaska to find and free humpback whales and other large whales from entangling gear. He will describe the difficult and sometimes dangerous task of freeing a 40-ton, free-swimming whale from entangling gear and show dramatic video footage shot from pole and helmet mounted cameras of animals that have been rescued from both locations.

The presentation is part of the ongoing NHERC Evening Wildlife Series organized by Dr. Adam Pack of UH Hilo in collaboration with the Center.

For more information, call (808) 775-8890 or visit online at http://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/nherc/Whales

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